verb
straddle
STRA-duhl
verb
1
To sit or stand with one leg on each side of something.
"She straddled the motorbike and kicked the engine into life."
"He straddled the low fence to get into the garden."
2
To span or extend across both sides of something, or to hold a position between two options without committing fully to either.
"The new office building straddles the border between the two boroughs."
"The senator tried to straddle the issue instead of taking a clear side."
noun
1
An options-trading strategy that bets on a security moving sharply in either direction.
"The trader bought a straddle ahead of the earnings announcement."
How to Use Straddle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishStanding or sitting with your legs spread apart on either side of something, or figuratively sitting on the fence between two positions.
Common pairings
straddle the fence
straddle a bike
straddle two worlds
Word Forms
straddled past tense, straddles plural, straddles singular
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Etymology
A 1560s alteration of the older dialect word "striddle," related to "stride."